(This post has been edited by Bash because it seemed to aggrivate one of our fellow members. All content regarding the polishing of wheels still applies)

Here are several problems with the idea of leaving them on the quad with the engine used to spin them.

1) The Anodized coating is a form of Aluminum Oxide and that even though sanding it will cut through it eventually, it won't go as fast as you think.

2) Once you do break through the coating, the sand paper will put scratches in the aluminum very quickly and then you'll be stuck going with lighter sandpaper until you eventually work it out (if you ever do).

3) The rear wheels can be turned in a "lathe" like fasion by jacking up your quad and running it, but there are a few reasons not to do this.
a) If it is a Banshee, it will get HOT sitting there idling while you try it.
b) You have to remove your valve stems if you want to be able to get all the way in to the back of the wheel.
c) If you do get to the lug nuts, you can't get any of that surface area because the nuts are not even with the rest of the surface.
d) It is extremely dangerous!
e) The bolt pattern on the front and back are different, so you'll still have to do the front without without an external power source.

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Trust me on this one guys. If it didn't work, I wouldn't have posted it! The original Easy-Off oven cleaner is the way to go. It causes a chemical reaction that disolves the anodize coating. Use the red color 3-M Scotch Brite pad in conjuntion with the oven cleaner to get it down to bare aluminum. Once you do that, you won't have scratches all over it like you would if sandpaper was used. Then use the grey 3-M Scotch Brite pad, steel wool and soft cloth with the recommended polish and you'll have mirror-like shine without scratches in it.

I had the same idea of using sandpaper and the spinning wheels, the only problem is that they don't work as well and offer a good opportunity to be injured.

 

Bash, I wasn't trying to cut down your idea. And just because you push the cycle start button on a machine that does the work for you, doesn't mean you can't use TRIED AND TRUE hand finishing processes on an aluminum wheel. I've done my share of hand finishing, and I know how to make aluminum shine. By the way, annodizing adds only a few thousandths thickness of coating to the aluminum. That's a thin coating no matter how you look at it, and sandpaper will make quick work of it. That's a fact, no reason to knock it. And as far as the safety issues with raising a quad on blocks, and putting it in gear, there is no reason to be afraid of it. And I know not every area of the wheel can be reached, so OBVIOUSLY, you would have to do it by hand. Not everything is perfect like an enclosed machining center. I mentioned the fact I work in a machine shop, because I learned there that an annodized finish can be removed very easily. Sometimes you have to find different ways, however unconventional, to get work done. No offense, to you, either.

 

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!! hehe, j/k. I think I'll try it on my Warrior rims....thanx

 

What is this??? Is everyone here a machinist? Ha Ha. Actually I am a machinist too. I used to work in a tool & die shop and we used to anodize our aluminum to achieve a hard, abrasive resistant finish, so I'm not sure how well using an abrasive, like sandpaper, would work. I'm not saying it wouldn't work, but i do think I'd be a little worried about using sandpaper. Working your way through to the finest grits would take a loooong time. To the guy that mentioned sandblasting.... don't don't don't DO NOT! Especially if it's aluminum. Sandblasting leaves a dull, pourous finish which will look like hell. Something you might want to try doing is going to a truck wash, which does tractor-trailors. They usually have an acid solution which they spray on the chrome on the rigs to clean off corrosion. I hear it will take off some coatings too. I'd test it on an inconspicuous area first though. And to all you guys with plain black painted steel rims.... don't even bother trying to get 'em shiny. Unlike aluminum, steel rims which have been stripped will rust in no time. And for that matter, I wouldn't do the aluminum rims either. The reason being, that the anodization is there for a reason. Aluminum is a very soft metal and marks very easily. The rims are anodized to prevent scrathes and marks from ruining the look of the rim. Once that hard coating is removed, I suspect you will be polishing out flaws all the time.

 

(parts of this post have been removed because it was taken as offensive by another forum member, Bash)

Well it's 2 to 1 on the vote against sandpaper. You must realize that the coating isn't going to miraculously be removed at the same time, so when you have part of it removed and part of the coating still there, you are digging away at some of the uncoated area. As the other guy said, it's going to take a long time to get it all smoothed back out, even if the scratches are only a few thousands thick.

I've posted pictures of the results on my wheels, but have yet so see any from the other method described? I got the idea of using the Scotch Brite pad, steel wool, cloth and Mothers Polish from Harley riders who often use them to polish their forks to a mirror-like finish. It would be a no-no to put scratches in the front forks by using sandpaper.

If you don't see any danger in sticking your hand into a moving wheel with protruding parts? It's a wonder you're still able to type! Just kidding

Also, I will promise you that using sandpaper and the spinning wheel process will leave your quad running long enough that it will overheat. I guess you could rig up an active cooling system if you wanted, but that seems like a lot of work when you could just do it by hand to start with.

Haha, just push cycle start button on a laser to keep it within process! I'm sure if you can meet our tolerances and set up the machine to do that, the company that I work for will pay you millions of dollars to come and work.

I didn't mention experience with EDM (electrical discharge machining), Acid ES (electro-stream drilling), standard surface grinding or a few other things because I didn't really feel that my qualifications to help people get there wheels shiny without a lot of money depended on it. Will it be better if hereafter, I give a related occupation and any experience that I have on it when replying or starting a post?

Hopefully the next time we can just agree to disagree.

Ride safe, have fun.

 

There are several polishing products out there. Which do you recommend for the best, all-around use when considering a bright shine, durability, etc.?

Mothers paste, Blue Magic paste, Hollywoods liquid, permeated polishing cloths in a can (unknown brand name), etc.?

 

if the wheels on the kodiak are steel then leave the paint on them or the will rust!!!!! If they are aluminium igonore what i just said

 

Bash, I don't care how many many millons of dollars your machines are worth, or how expensive the parts you make are. You work at a production plant, where somebody else set up the process, so you could come in and be the operator. And you're talking to someone who doesn't care how tight your tolerances are. It doesn't impress me. But with all that crap aside, let me say ONE MORE TIME, I never said your idea wasn't a good one. All I offered was my take on the subject. If you don't like it, fine, I can take contructive criticism. But don't try to belittle me or my work. It's childish.

 

Rob,

In my opinion, if you follow the procedures that I outlined, you'll want to use some kind of paste for the initial polishing as is works into the Scotch Brite pad, steel wool or cloth. Mothers paste as well as an Eagle 1 brand equivalent worked excellent for me.

I will say that I haven't had the opportunity to use Blue Magic paste or Hollywoods liquid. I have used the cloths permiated with polish in them after the wheels were polished, and although for a quick shine they did fine, they didn't have quite the luster as when using the Mothers polish.

Warmachine,

If it seemed that by giving my credentials, I belittled you, please accept an apology. My point was that regardless if we pick up trash or work for NASA for a living, all of our posts can be judged on their own accord, and we don't have to try and add support by giving our credentials.

You'll notice that my original post did not mention anything about my profession and I never would have brought it up except that was the way you started your post as if it had more relevance because of what you do.

It is also interesting that while you wrongly assume what it is that I do and try to negate the complexity of what I do, you have never bothered to complete your initial statement and say what it is that you do at a machine shop. Really, it is of no consequence and I don't like to harbor a grudge. After I post this, I plan on editing any part of my previous messages that could be taken offensively and hope that this satisfies you.

Best Regards,
Bash

 

Bash, it was not my intention to get into a war of words with you. I merely wanted to give my advice, and that was it. No grudges here, either. And since you ask, I run manual mills, lathes, grinders, etc. as well as CNC machining and turning centers. No more, no less. But you're right, it's not really the point. I only brought up my occupation as a way of showing I wasn't making it up as I go along. So endeth my endearing post.